Devendra Kumar
Russian security forces on Saturday fatally shot a heavily-armed gunman who broke into a private house in the suburbs of Moscow and fired at them, claiming to be driven by God to march on the Kremlin. The gunman, identified as Vyacheslav Chernenko, 35, a resident of Krasnoyarsk, was spotted by guards after he broke into an unoccupied house in an elite village in the Istra region, about 30 miles west of Moscow. He held the guards at gunpoint, but they managed to escape, according to Russian media.
For several hours, authorities negotiated with the gunman, who was dressed in combat fatigues and armed with a Kalashnikov rifle. The man claimed to have come from the front lines in Ukraine and was driven by God to march on the Kremlin, the seat of the government in Moscow. Despite being surrounded, the gunman refused to surrender, firing at special forces who stormed the house, according to Russia’s National Guard.
The attacker had several automatic weapons and hand grenades, and Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein identified him as Vyacheslav Chernenko, 35, a resident of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. It was unclear if he indeed fought in Ukraine as he claimed. Russian authorities described the attacker as mentally unstable, citing a history of erratic behavior.
The incident garnered significant media attention, with some outlets claiming the house once belonged to Viktor Yanukovych, the former Moscow-friendly president of Ukraine who was ousted from office due to mass protests and offered shelter by Russia. The current owner, who was abroad when the incident occurred, has put the property up for sale.